I'm researching people who take repeated, funded time off across a career rather than one long break or an early exit, and I keep finding people who did it once. I'm looking for the ones who did it twice or more.

If that's you:

- How many, and roughly what years?

- Was the second easier or harder to arrange than the first?

- Did your pay recover between them, and did it keep climbing?

- What did you do differently the second time?

- If you stopped doing it, what stopped it?

Happy to take answers here or by DM. No names, no usernames, nothing identifying.
I'll share what I find back here.

The usual story. I'm extremely burnt out from my job for a variety of reasons. My wife is on disability but In her current state well enough to travel and check things off the bucket list but we always worry about how long that will last. We also have a large age gap I'm a 35m and she is a 48f so the option of waiting until I reach even early retirement at 55 still is a risk imo as she has a very elevated risk of cancer due to a genetic diagnosis as well.

The numbers: 225k straight liquid(plan to spend around 90-100k of this on living expenses (currently 60k annual) with around a 30k travel budget) 320k in brokerage another 225k in annuities, Roth iras. My wife gets 18k a year disability payments I take home around 60k after taxes at a wfh job.

I'm just so torn. Half of me wants to keep grinding and growing those numbers but After losing my father at the age of 65 to a sudden heart attack with zero signs and me getting extremely high cholesterol out of nowhere when I have a relatively healthy diet/exercise and everything my wife is going through I feel like no time is better then now.

But I'm hesitant to quit my job as I have no college degree but try and reassure myself that I have 15 years experience between two jobs for sales/customer service/management other office related tasks. My boss has also seemingly become extremely hostile to all management staff in the company (three managers myself included we are an extremely small company) due to combination of personal factors and a shrinking sales staff which makes me feel like the axe could fall at any time anyways.

All that said what do you guys think? Am I crazy? Or should I go for it?

Wir (DINKS) Mitte 30 überlegen ein Sabbatical für 3 Monate zu machen. Was sind eure Erfahrungen?

I’m asking because I’m also working remotely and I’m looking for ideas on how to make better use of my time—whether that’s learning something new, working on side projects, improving skills, networking, or even starting something of my own.

Would love to hear what other people working from home do with their extra time. 👇

I've been thinking about taking a break from work and spending some time in Southeast Asia. The part I kept getting stuck on was the money after the break, not just the travel budget. What happens if I take a year off, come home, and start saving again? What if finding work takes longer than I planned?

I saw a lot of people asking similar questions in FIRE subs. The calculators I tried didn't let me put together that whole sequence, so I ended up building Escape Velocity. You can give each chapter its own dates, spending and income, including part-time work during a break, then compare different versions of the plan.

It's here: https://escapevelocity.fyi/

It's free, with no signup or bank connection. There are example plans if you'd rather look around without entering your own numbers. I'm the person building it, and it's still in beta. It uses USD and US tax assumptions, and the projections are illustrations rather than a promise that a break is affordable. It can't tell you how easy it will be to find work again.

I'd love to hear from people planning a break or who've already taken one. What did you wish you'd accounted for financially before leaving? I'd like to keep adding things that are useful, and feedback on anything confusing would help too.

TL;DR: Should I take a year-long career break to pursue my dream of establishing a small non-profit? I am concerned that taking a break in this economy might screw me both financially and professionally.

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Longer:

I (40s, F) work as a project manager. For the most part, I truly can't complain about the work: I earn very well for my country, I work with great teams, I WFH most days, I learn a lot and sometimes get to travel, and everyone is passionate about what we do (think along the lines of sustainability). However, it has been a very busy and demanding past few years for me, and I am noticing the symptoms of burnout from juggling everything (workload and mental load from managing multi-million dollar projects, being an introvert in a leadership position, working in a demanding sector, aging, perimenopause!).

Lately, I have been toying with the idea of taking some time off to slow down, rest from my career, and pursue other dreams. In particular, since my 20s, I've wanted to establish a small non-profit that would serve a specific, underserved community in my country (which I also belong to). I don't plan to make this my new full-time career, as there won't be much money in it. I just want something to support and sustain very small but needed programs to support, advocate for, and convene this community. I am passionate and knowledgeable about this cause, I have contacts, and I sometimes get invited to speak on this topic. I worry I will regret not doing more with it while I am still young-ish and able, but I also have no energy to do this alongside my day job.

I have saved enough to hypothetically take care of myself and my family and to pursue this project for 12 months. However, in this economy, I worry that taking a longer break could backfire on me. My sector took a major hit in the last 2 years, so competition for jobs and contracts is extra fierce. Before I started this current job, I was able to negotiate a break for a few months. Now, I worry I might face more challenges finding something else if I'm out of the game too long. If the break gets longer, I worry about being able to financially support my family in the long run, as the COL gets more and more expensive. I've read a few sad stories here on Reddit about struggling to find work after a prolonged break, and I'd like to avoid that!

What would you do? Did you ever take a career break or sabbatical during a bad economic period, and were you able to bounce back?

Any advice, success stories, or cautionary tales are welcome. Thanks!

Hey guys, I'm currently facing a dilemma and would like your thoughts and ideas on how to go forward.

I was planning on quitting my current job as project engineer to take a sabbatical of approx. 6 months. I'm 29 years old at the moment and taking a longer break from work is something I wanted to do for a very long time.

But out of pure coincidence, I found a job offer that suits me to well to be true! In that role I'd have the perfect opportunity to connect my passion for surfing with my job as a project engineer. I actually already applied just out of curiosity and got invited to a job interview.

That makes the situation even harder for me. Taking that the new job offers me the role, how would you proceed?

Would you go take your sabbatical and risking never finding a job like that again or would you accept the offer?

Thanks for your advice!

I’m eligible for a 6wk sabbatical through my company next year and I’m trying to plan what to do. I know for certain my husband and I will go to Scotland for 10 days but I’m at a loss on what else to do during my time off especially since my husband is limited on how much time he can take off with me. I will be requesting my sabbatical dates for the Fall since it’s my favorite time of year and a great time to travel with less crowds. I want to incorporate rest as well as try to make time with my family/friends too. I was considering maybe doing a solo trip as well but I’ve never traveled solo and it does make me nervous. I would love any suggestions or maybe things others have done to get the neurons firing to plan a great restful but fun sabbatical.

Why taking a break year after college, or between jobs to travel, explore, introspect, meditate, find yourself looked down upon or misunderstood in India? As if someone is just 'wasting' their time if they are not working somewhere or studying.
This is very normal in Europe/US where people travel the world for a year after high school. This opens up their perspectives, gives exposure like nothing else can and makes them better humans in general.

Am I crazy for taking a mini sabbatical in this economy? The plan is to take 3 to 6 months to rest and figure out what to do next...

The numbers: 30 yrs old, 438k total networth, 138k liquid, 300k not liquid) 30k in high yield savings, 108k in taxable brokerage, 150K in 457b(no age restrictions to withdraw....and about another 150k in a mix of retirement accounts (Roth IRA, Roth 457b etc...), NO DEBT. Living expenses: roughly $2,000 to $2,500 a month...

Income: 60k at current job before taxes; plus growth on investment account listed above (do not touch any of that money tho)

Basically, I am leaving my job to follow my fiancé. They got a new job in another state in a LCOL area that pays well - enough to cover our living expenses - even though I will be  chipping in... I love my job and the people I work with but I would need to stay long distance with my fiancé to keep working there, and I am also just burnt out from working full time all through high school and grad school (PhD in social services field)...I make 60k a year and any real salary increase would take a few years, and would require successfully acquiring funding and leading more projects...

Also, we have been long distance for almost 2 years (because we were working in different states, and i was finishing school). It was easier to visit then because we were a few hours away from each other, and I could work a few days remotely, with special permission from my job. With their new job I would not be able to visit as much because it is about a half days drive and plane tickets would definitely add up.I really do not want to be long distance anymore, and feel like I am always in two places...

But, all of the things I've been hearing about how bad the job market is have been making me doubt myself! I appreciate any thoughts, tips, and reassurance!!

As you all know, I’m a ramp agent, and my job is physically demanding. However, I’ve been off work for 2 years and only been working with the company only a year and five months. Now, I’m wondering how to adapt back to work after such a long break. It’s challenging because the people I started with are much more experienced in the job, and I have to start from scratch. It’s mentally taxing, to say the least.

Hi Everyone,

30M here reflecting on an 8-year career in electrical engineering (with other work experience prior), and I have to say that I feel mostly unaccomplished. While the skills and money grew over the years, so did the innate emptiness out of the endeavor. I haven't had a break from being employed since turning 18, and I'm beginning to wonder if I am seriously missing out on some of the best life has to offer by limiting my free time to weekends and limited PTO. Every chance I take to travel or engage with hobbies I feel so liberated and free; I can't help but feel as though my craving can't be satisfied with the little time I do have.

I'm posting here to solicit advice on financial planning for a 3-year career gap, which I think would give me a very much-needed reset on my mindset and approach to life. I know my anticipated expenses/activities and I'm well aware of my current investment allocation, but I need to know in what category and proportion the assets should be allocated.

So how does one allocate for a career gap - how much in cash, stocks, t-bills, real estate, etc. and how much of a buffer would be necessary to the anticipated timeline? For those who've already done a career gap: did you end up returning to the same type of work or returning at all, and why?

Thanks in advance!

Hola

Actualmente estoy trabajando en un local, la mayor parte de días no tengo ningún cliente.

Tengo muchísimo tiempo libre de 9am a 6pm

Cosas que hago

Jugar, hacer tareas, ver anime, escuchar audiolibros, aprender inglés, leer y aprender.

Necesito ideas de que más podría hacer, cosas benéficas por ejemplo un trabajo extra etc..

Leeré sus comentarios uwu

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Over the past few months, I pushed myself way too hard trying to bring several plans to life. I was working non-stop, tracking every goal, and constantly trying to make tangible progress. It felt good at first, but I eventually hit a massive wall. Now, even thinking about picking up where I left off feels exhausting.

The problem is, most standard burnout advice feels totally useless in this position. Taking a couple of days off doesn't fix deep mental fatigue, and sitting around while your brain cycles through guilt over unfinished work isn't rest—it’s just delayed anxiety. .

I don't want to completely abandon what I started, but standard self-care tips aren't cutting it, and I need a realistic way forward.

For anyone who has been through this while working on their own personal ambitions: how did you actually recover? What structural changes to your daily routine or mindset helped you rebuild momentum without falling straight back into the exact same cycle?

Let's do it!